Historic coin hoard set to go on display at museum

The hoard represents the largest Norman treasure find since 1833

A hoard of 2,584 historic silver pennies discovered in Somerset by a group of metal detectorists is set to return to the county.

Known as the Chew Valley Hoard, the coins were found in January 2019 and date from just after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They depict both the defeated King Harold II and the triumphant William the Conqueror.

The coins had been on display at the British Museum from November 2024 until May 2025 and will visit a number of other museums across the country before arriving in Taunton next summer.

A planning application has been submitted to Somerset Council to create a gallery in the round tower at the Museum of Somerset to allow the hoard to be displayed.

The coins are set to go on display at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton next summer

The Chew Valley Hoard contains 1,236 coins of Harold II, the last crowned Anglo-Saxon king of England, and 1,310 coins of William I, as well as several coin fragments.

The hoard is the largest Norman treasure find since 1833.

It was bought for £4.3m in 2024, making it the highest-value treasure ever found in the UK.

The group that discovered it while metal detecting in the Chew Valley area of Bath and North East Somerset split the proceeds with the landowner.

In a statement, the South West Heritage Trust said that preparations were now under way for the coins to go on display at the Museum of Somerset and that a new permanent gallery space would be created.

The trust added that the proposed project is subject to funding from a range of partner organisations.